Chief Matthew Grafton reports the Stoneham Fire Department responded after a man fell through the ice at Quarter Mile Pond this afternoon.
At approximately 1:45 p.m., Stoneham Fire was dispatched to the pond off Woodland Road, which sits on the Stoneham and Medford town line, for a report of a 22-year-old Malden man who had fallen through the ice. When first responders arrived with two divers and ice sled, they found two others in the area had used a branch to help pull the man safely to the shore.
One of the men, Thomas Walsh, was walking in the area with his five-year-old German Shepherd, Diesel, when his dog heard the man in the water calling for help and alerted his owner. Walsh was able to help direct the man to crawl on the ice towards the shore until he and another man walking in the area were able to help pull him to shore with a branch.
“It was rewarding,” Walsh said. “It’s just good to know that you can help someone in need.”
The patient was brought to a local hospital by Action Ambulance to be treated for injuries that are not believed to be life threatening. Stoneham Police responded to the scene as well.
“We are grateful for this outcome and for Diesel alerting his owner that something was wrong,” Chief Grafton said. “The two men who helped the patient get to shore did the right thing by calling 911 immediately and using a branch to help pull him in rather than trying to get in the water themselves. These actions helped to save a man’s life this afternoon and are nothing short of heroic.”
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